Years ago, when the Brothers of the Sacred Heart who had founded CRUDEM finally withdrew from Milot, I managed to stay in touch with Brother Norbert Synal. Brother Norbert relocated to the Port au Prince area, but his influence was felt in Milot for a long time after his departure. Because music was such a large part of his life, he would sometimes request various musical instruments or CD’s. At one point he requested financial aid for a student named Junior Pieire who was especially promising, but as is frequently the case in Haiti, struggling to meet the tuition requirements necessary to further his education.
I would periodically send Brother Norbert enough money to keep Junior in school and in return, Brother Norbert would send me updates on his student and even report cards so that I could track his progress. I would often tape these report cards to the refrigerator door so that my family would be aware of how he was doing. On more than one occasion, this would trigger a petulant outburst from my own children about why their report cards were never displayed in that place of honor. My reply usually was “Work Harder! Someday you might make the refrigerator!”
Finally Junior graduated and I did not receive any more requests for aid from Brother Norbert. I must admit that there were times when I wondered if Junior was apocryphal – someone Norbert used as an example of how difficult it was to obtain an education in Haiti, but perhaps really didn’t exist.
Fast forward to June 2012, when during a lunch break from surgery in Milot, I was told there was someone who wanted to meet me. Into the kitchen walked Junior Pierre. He really did exist and we had a terrific discussion during which he told me that he was now pursuing a religious vocation and had heard that I was going to be in Milot. He had made the arduous journey from Port au Prince so that he could personally thank me for helping him achieve
his dream.
There are no words to adequately describe my feelings at that moment. To be face to face with someone who is thanking you for doing something that he feels has changed his life is something that everyone who has ever extended a helping hand should experience. I tell this story only to illustrate that these life changing moments happen dozens of times a day at Hôpital Sacré Coeur. Everyone who donates even a nickel, changes lives in Haiti. Whether it’s the child whose life is saved by the antibiotics used to combat her infection or the pregnant woman treated with the medication which saved her from eclampsia, all of your donations change lives and save lives.
I wish it was possible for all of you to meet the Haitians whom you help so greatly. They would look you in the eyes, grasp your hands in theirs and express their sincere gratitude for what you have done. They are a warm and grateful people.
The volunteers at Hôpital Sacré Coeur often say that they get more out of working at the hospital than the people they are helping. While this may be true, I want to reiterate how much the people appreciate everything that is done for them. I only wish that you could personally experience this so that you would feel what I felt upon meeting Junior. It is the experience of a lifetime.
Thanks for caring.
David G. Butler, M.D.
